Originally Posted by
quant88
A few questions:
(1) is there a list of the titanium brand benefits somewhere?
(2) [GHA DISCOVERY website] suggests the titanium early check-in/late checkout unlike the double room upgrade is not subject to availability while terms & conditions suggests it is subject to availability and the early check-in has to be requested two days in advance. Is this the case and is there a formal way of requesting the early check-in?
(3) Would bookings through Amex FHR/Virtuoso count as eligible rates or not?
(1) these vary by brand and by hotel location and they change quite frequently. They can range from gifts reflecting the local culture to services such as free laundry. At several brands they will offer you a choice of benefits from a small "menu" when you check in. It's part of the individual and local ethos of GHA that we don't standardize these brand benefits across the world; instead we allow local hotels to use their own discretion to choose suitable rewards.
(2) early check-in/ late check-out are always subject to availability. It's best to request early check-in in advance - no particular formality is involved but you should probably call or email the hotel itself. Often the hotel will send you a pre-arrival email asking for your special requests.
(3) unlike in the other major hotel loyalty programmes, bookings made through FHR/Virtuoso into GHA hotels are normally ELIGIBLE for earning D$, receiving in-hotel benefits and receiving tier credits. Most competitor loyalty programmes have now limited eligibility to direct channel bookings only. Note that if you are entitled to a 1-category room upgrade via FHR (etc) and a 2-category room upgrade as a Titanium GHA DISCOVERY member, those upgrades don't get added together to make a 3-category upgrade (!) - but you should still get the 2-category upgrade, subject to availability.
TIP: to maximise your D$ earning you should really book direct with GHA or the brand because there will be cases, especially when booking a packaged rate through a travel agent or tour operator, where you will earn D$ at a reduced rate compared to booking direct.